


Examining

by unwindmyself



Series: curious shapes shift in the dark [39]
Category: True Blood
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Fae & Fairies, Female Friendship, Fix-It, Gen, Internal Monologue, Vampire Family, agency and choices!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2014-04-26
Packaged: 2018-01-20 20:45:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1525007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unwindmyself/pseuds/unwindmyself
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Before they take off to take down vamp camp, Sookie spends a few minutes musing over the vampires and Sam and Luna have a little heart-to-heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Examining

**Author's Note:**

> Part two, "The Switch and the Spur."

It’s always gonna be weird watching vampire families interact, and Sookie’s come to accept this. 

A lot of what she knows about them she just picked up _from_ watching, because it’s not like she felt comfortable asking Bill most of this stuff, and anyway from what she’s seen the relationship that Bill had with his Maker and the one that he had with Jessica (Jessica, who’s currently flitting back and forth carrying things like she desperately wants to be a part of the family and wants to prove she can be, even if she already knows she is) are both very different from any of Eric’s family.  Bill had resented his Maker (no small wonder, she didn’t exactly seem like a picnic to be around) and at least for a while resented having to become one, and that made a lot of things different.

The only member of this particular line that would have had any resentment is Tara, and Tara – well, most of hers was aimed at Sookie and Lafayette.  It’s not like Pam chose this outta nowhere, and what Sookie’s realized is that whether or not anyone planned it this way, Pam’s actually doing a better job being what Tara needs than almost anyone else ever has.   Pam has never been exactly Sookie’s favorite, but judging by the way that she and Tara seem capable of yelling at each other one second and making out the next with no hard feelings, she wound up being an okay choice.

Eric and Pam are this whole other matter, and probably it helps that Sookie’s been witness to some of their recent history so she knows all of the volatility behind them.  Pam still respects the hell out of Eric, despite everything they’ve been through, and Eric still tries to take care of Pam, despite the way that Pam doesn’t like to let it show that she wants or needs that.  And Tara, in turn, refuses to take even the slightest bit of Eric’s shit, which Sookie can only imagine getting _really_ interesting some nights, though tonight while Eric’s playing general it’s only really showing in a few offhand remarks and snide looks.  For the most part – and maybe it’s because of the fairy girls’ presences or maybe it’s because of the humans – all of the vampires are on company manners tonight, at least a little.

Tara’s the first to start loading up the truck that’s been allotted to her, Pam, Sam, and Nicole (Nicole’s friends are following behind in their own van) and from where Sookie’s sitting (on top of the hood of Jason’s car at the moment, strictly speaking) part of that is just that she doesn’t wanna be around all of the well-wishing see-you-at-the-battleground business that Pam’s currently partaking of with Eric.  She knows it’s not sexual, but it still looks way too intimate to be witnessed by outsiders.

When that’s all done, Eric presses a kiss to Pam’s forehead and goes to join his sister and his other progeny, the more conventional family unit (weird as that sounds). It’s funny, she thinks, that Nora couldn’t have been more than a few years older than Willa is – _was_ – at her turning but that she’s so clearly a mother to the girl.  A few spare centuries’ worth of life experience will do that, maybe, even though it looks silly.  Willa is Eric’s child technically, but despite being brother and sister he and Nora are clearly the heads of the family on fairly equal ground, so she’s really both of theirs to care for.

“That’s really confusing,” Charlaine declares, hopping onto the hood next to Sookie with a wide sorry-for-listening smile.

“Shouldn’t y’all be helpin’ load things up?” Sookie asks.

“Shouldn’t you?” Braelyn replies sweetly.

Sookie shrugs.  “We already got Jason’s car all filled up,” she says.  “I’m just takin’ a minute to –”

“Debate the complicated issues of non-biological family lineage?” Danika supplies.

“That’s a fancy way of puttin’ it,” Sookie observes.

“We were askin’ Willa about it, and that’s how Nora put it when she overheard us,” Danika explains.

“Of course it was,” Sookie says.

It’s funny, too, that someone as occasionally feral and impulsive as Eric can be has his other half in such an in-your-face intellectual as Nora at least likes to present as, but they’re similar enough in ways that matter, she thinks.

“You want me to fix your hair?” Adilyn offers.  “Before we all get goin’.”

She’s not sure how much combat they’re actually gonna see, but the girls are all convinced that they need to be army-precision prepared, so she nods.  “Have at it,” Sookie offers, turning to allow that.

 

* * *

 

“So you and Lafayette are clear on what you guys are supposed to be doing?” Sam asks.

Which prompts Luna to roll her eyes. “Yeah, I think we’re gonna manage to handle sitting around and waiting for you to call us with an emergency, _if_ you even need to,” she sighs.

“Hey,” he murmurs. “Hey, I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“I know,” she retorts. “It’s chivalrous. A little annoying, but – I get it. Having someone here’s a good idea, just in case. I shouldn’t be running around when I’m still barely recovered from the last time we tried to bust up a secret government headquarters. This isn’t really my fight, although by that logic it’s not really yours either, so that one’s kind of invalid. Who’s gonna look after Emma if anything happens to me, really? I get it.”

It’s said in the way that these things often are with her, the one that simultaneously shames Sam for being old-fashioned in that way he can be and acknowledges that she can’t be _too_ mad because he has good intentions, at least.

“But you know,” she adds with a little smirk, then a kiss to verify that she’s not really _that_ sore about it, “if you need us to swoop in and bail you out, I am gonna say I told you so.”

“Hey Sam hey Luna come on,” Braelyn shouts from across the parking lot. “It’s about time to head out. Save the banter for later.”

They look at each other sheepishly, then at the girl. “She’s got a point,” Luna says. “Go. We’ve got it handled here.”


End file.
